Chapter 42: The Dream Collapses
22nd June 2023. Aincrad, Floor 15, Synethia Inn, 07:03 AM, Aincrad Standard Time.
Kirito awoke to the morning rays of sun shining through the curtain of his inn room. He turned over to face Sachi. She was already awake. Or perhaps, had been awake?
"Good morning." She gently said, smiling.
"Good morning." Kirito replied.
Sachi reached out a hand and rested it on Kirito's cheek. Her smile broadened.
"Is everything ok?" Kirito asked.
"Yes." Sachi giggled. "I'm just watching your face."
"O-Ok…"
"I'm watching my boyfriend's face."
'Boyfriend' Kirito thought. The words struck with an impact that he couldn't describe.
Kirito just smiled back.
"I'm enjoying these moments with you." Sachi smiled once more.
Kirito noticed how at ease she was. He couldn't recall a previous time when Sachi had seemed so playful, or relaxed.
"Hehe...Boyfriend. I wasn't sure I-I would e-ever say that." Sachi said. Spontaneously, she grabbed Kirito's hand and guided it just above her left breast. Kirito could feel her heart beating.
"You're the reason, Kirito. I love you."
"I love you too." Kirito responded. Yet, this time was different. For once, thoughts of doubt hadn't begun flooding Kirito's mind. Almost instantly he could feel her heart accelerate. The indication of life. No matter how fake, how designed the world was around them, the heartbeat Kirito was feeling now was purely organic.
"J-just don't go any lower." Sachi nervously teased. She was, as usual, topless, and desired to preserve some modesty.
"You're...different today." Kirito remarked. Once again, he couldn't recall sachi being so forthcoming. So...confident.
"I'm j-just so h-happy." Sachi replied. She maneuvered on top of Kirito, laying on top of him, her ear pressed against his heart. Her chest against his as she moved. Kirito blushed, and began to have a sense of nervousness. He had never been this close with someone before.
"In this world, you feel so alive." Sachi began. Skin to skin, she never felt so connected to Kirito. "You...you've given me so much."
"I don't feel like I have." Kirito replied.
"Being with you, I-I've started becoming w-who I w-want to be. Kirito, with y-you. I'm n-not scared anymore". Her ear pressed against Kirito's chest, and her eyes closed. "I...I don't kn-know what to say. Besides th-thank y-you."
Kirito began stroking her hair. At this particular moment, he wished he could stay in bed with Sachi forever.
"How do you f-feel?" Sachi inquired to Kirito.
"I..I don't know."
"W-what do you mean?" Sachi perked her head up, her eyes meeting Kirito's.
"I..I'm sorry. I don't know how to express it. I wouldn't...wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now." Kirito managed to reply.
"It's ok.H-hey, turn over for a s-second." Sachi requested, as she got off of Kirito.
"What do you mean?"
"L-Lay on your ch-chest."
"Ok…" Kirito complied, his head facing the opposite side Sachi was now sitting on.
Sachi pulled down the sheets from Kirito's body, leaving his upper body exposed. She neatly folded back the bedding and tucked it under Kirito's hips. She climbed on top of him, straddling him just below his waist.
"What are you doing?" Kirito calmly asked.
Sachi leaned forward, and gently said to Kirito: "R-Relax." Sachi attempted to sound gentle and soothing, but her tone was distorted due to her stutter. She gently took her hands across Kirito's back. The action sent chills and goosebumps across Kirito, although her hands were warm. "Promise not to look back at me." Sachi leaned back upright and teased, realizing she was exposed in her current position.
"Whatever makes you feel comfortable." Kirito acknowledged, he kept his head to the side, and his eyes closed. His response brought a wider smile to Sachi's face.
"Y-You know, you could be a little more...forceful. T-tease me a l-little bit." Sachi replied as she began pressing her thumbs on either side of Kirito's spine. His slender body making it easy to massage and manipulate. She ran her thumbs down the length of Kirito's back, subtly aligning his spine as she worked her way down.
"What do you mean?" Kirito exhaled out, Sachi's pressure causing Kirito's breathing to be slow and deliberate, slowly synchronizing to release when Sachi applied pressure.
"L-like, I g-guess I w-wouldn't mind if you saw me r-right now. M-my body…" Sachi expressed as she began pressing her fingers around Kirito's shoulder blades. She could feel the muscle knots in Kirito's back.
It suddenly made her realize how elaborate Sword Art Online's physiology was. She couldn't help but begin to wonder how Kirito's...Kazuto's body it would be then, was. How accurate the muscular growth would be. She didn't quite realize how muscular Kirito's thin looking back was until now. 'Would it be like this in real life?' She further wondered. 'Or did all of his training in here cause the system to simulate…' She brought her thoughts back to the here and now. Regardless of how it felt, 'It's still his' she continued thinking to herself, and that was the important part to her. This was a method of expressing physical connection the best she could through the game's environment.
"I wouldn't want you to-" Kirito was cut off by Sachi's technique, causing him to exhale once again, as he felt some stress relieve. Sachi's hands felt heavenly as they worked their way into his muscles.
"Hmmm?" Sachi prompted Kirito to continue, easing up her pressure while still running her hands across his back.
"I wouldn't want you to feel like you owe me, or anything. Or that, I only want you ph-physically, or something." Kirito began to get nervous once again, and continued to blush as the conversation continued.
"You don't like my b-body?" Sachi giggled and teased, pressing her fingers just underneath the edge of Kirito's scapula. Another knot was released in the process, but caused Kirito to groan.
"N-no, I mean-" Kirito tried to clarify.
"It's ok. I know what you meant." Sachi giggled some more.
Sachi continued her massage, making a rounding motion with her finger tips at the sides of Kirito's ribcage. She made her way up to his shoulders, eventually pressing into the arch connecting Kirito's shoulders and neck. She felt more and more stress in the muscles relieve. A satisfying feeling in her work.
"Where did you learn to do this?" Kirito asked, as Sachi continued her therapy.
"My mother. She works as a massage physical therapist. She's taught me some things."
"You feel incredible." Kirito commented, causing Sachi to blush. Her hands felt so gentle yet effective on Kirito's back. Somehow, Sword Art Online managed to simulate the human touch almost perfectly. For these moments, he started to forget he was in a virtual world.
After a while more of Sachi continuing, she finished by rubbing Kirito's temples. "T-turn around." Sachi gently requested.
"A-are you sure?" Kirito asked to confirm, beginning to blush once again. "Do you want to put something more on?"
Sachi blushed as well. "N-no. It's ok." Sachi desired for Kirito to admire her body much like she had been his.
"Ok. I can keep my eyes closed." Kirito offered once again.
"It's ok." Sachi reassured Kirito.
Kirito complied, and turned over, lying on his back now. Still insistently keeping his eyes firmly shut.
Sachi giggled: "Kirito…"
"What?" Kirito replied, a broad smile on his expression, laughing a little bit.
"Y-you...I love you." Sachi smiled and couldn't help but laugh at Kirito's insistence. While she was happy, she also felt somewhat frustrated. Kirito's...childishness, she began to think to herself, and began to question his age. 'Am I actually older than him?' she began to wonder. 'He's certainly around my age...he has to be…' She continued. 'Yet his reluctance to even begin intimacy…'. 'Yet, what he's taking on...everything…'. Sachi briefly continued her method of thought before stopping it. 'I love him, for all he is.' Sachi eventually resolved. Despite the frustration, she felt oddly...charmed by Kirito.
Sachi ran her hands across his chest before pressing into above his collarbone, and massaged just below it as well. Kirito let out another deep exhale. She moved her way across his sternum and onto his pecs, replicating another rounding motion she had previously done on his back. Kirito let out another long exhale.
"How does it feel?" Sachi asked.
"Uhhh aghhh-" Kirito once again let out another breath.
"I'll assume that means good." Sachi once again giggled.
Sachi guided Kirito's arms to be slightly parted. She pressed into the space between chest and shoulder, working her way across his sides and eventually back to his chest. Once again she returned to his clavicle and the arch connecting shoulders and neck. She carried her technique back to his temples and forehead, before finishing with a collapsing motion on Kirito's scalp. She leaned forward against Kirito, pressing her chest to his.
"You can look now." She said, a hint of humor in her voice.
Kirito opened his eyes and turned his head towards Sachi, whose head was resting against his chest once again.
"That was amazing…" Kirito stated. He began stroking her hair.
"Glad you enjoyed it." Sachi broadly smiled back.
"Do you want me to-"
"Of course not." Sachi Interrupted Kirito.
"O-ok.. We should get ready to meet the others."
"Hmmmm…" Sachi let out a sigh. "You're right, a-although I would hate to get up right now."
Kirito saw a flash of light between his and Sachi's bodies. Suddenly Sachi adorned a shirt and shorts. She got off of Kirito and got up off the bed. Kirito sat up and rotated to the side, sitting on the edge of the bed now.
"I'll see you down there." Sachi smiled before exiting the room.
Kriito stretched his arms upward before standing. He walked over to the bathroom and turned on the tap. While waiting for the water to warm, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Something briefly caught his eye, causing him to pay attention to his reflection.
'Something's different…' He thought to himself, looking himself in the eye. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but something had changed since the last time he actually paid attention to himself.
Breaking the trance, he wet his hands and splashed water on his face several times, then adjusted his hair. Turning off the sink, before equipping all of his gear. In his head, he began running through how he would best explain his and Sachi's decision. To...soften the blow to the others. Like it or not, they would have to live with it, but he didn't necessarily want to burn the bridge for Sachi.
Kirito exited his inn room that he had called home for his tenure with the Moonlit Black Cats.
22nd June 2023. Aincrad, Floor 15, Synethia Inn, 09:00 AM, Aincrad Standard Time.
"So, it turns out there's actually a lot of paperwork when it comes to buying a guildhall…" Keita began. The guild was gathered around in the common area of the inn.
"What do you mean?" Tetsuo responded.
"Meaning I won't be able to join you guys while you're "celebrating" today." Keita clarified.
"Aww come on, maybe at the end?" Ducker pleaded.
"We'll see. Where will you guys be?"
"We were gonna go to the Labyrinth on Floor 27 and explore. I know that the clearing parties don't actually clear everything." Tetsuo said.
Sachi, who was standing just staggered behind Kirito quickly, and not as subtly as she would like, grabbed Kirito's hand. Their fingers interlocked. Despite Sachi's sudden motion, no other guildmate seemed to notice.
The "celebration" was a secret to everyone, and was left to Tetsuo and Ducker to decide.
"Kirito, what's the highest floor cleared?" Sachi quietly whispered and asked Kirito.
"29. They're trying to clear 30 right now." Kirito replied.
Sachi clenched his hand even tighter.
"It'll be ok." Kirito reassured her.
"That will be a challenge, but I'm sure you all will manage. Thanks to Kirito here, we've advanced quite well." Keita calmly stated. Ducker and Tetsuo were noticeably more excited.
"Well, I'll see you on the other side then. I'll contact Tetsuo when I'm finished, and where to meetup." Keita stated.
"Wait that's right, you still haven't told us where our new guildhall will be!" Ducker exclaimed.
"In due time." Keita replied. "Good luck." He wished the rest of the guild as he exited the inn.
The remaining members turned to face Kirito.
"So, what do you think of our celebration idea?" Ducker asked Kirito.
"It'll be difficult." Kirito replied.
"We're one level ahead of it. We should be fine." Tetsuo asserted.
"I'm not sure you understand." Kirito said, attempting to hide aggression or frustration in his voice. "These areas are literally designed to kill players."
"I'm sure that's just exaggeration, it can't be that bad, right?" Ducker asked.
Kirito clenched his teeth, and withheld a response.
"If that's what you want to do, then so be it." Kirito conceded. Arguing would be useless, and he began figuring in his head he would be able to guide the group to easier areas of the Labyrinth, having been there before.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Tetsuo reached out and set his hand on Kirito's shoulder.
"So, shall we?" Ducker proposed.
"Yeah, let's get going." Sasamaru agreed.
The group departed.
22nd June 2023. Aincrad, Floor 27, Labyrinth, 09:37 AM, Aincrad Standard Time.
Shortly before entering the Labyrinth, Kirito and Sachi lagged slightly, staying behind the group as they made their way to the entrance, their hands interlocked.
"Kirito…" Sachi quietly said, as they stood at the doorway of the entrance.
Kirito turned to face Sachi. "I promise you'll be ok. I won't let anything happen to you." He leaned in and briefly kissed her forehead. Sachi tried to force a smile, but he could tell she was still scared.
Ducker turned to the rest of the group "We ready to do this?" He asked.
"Yeah." Kirito, Tetsuo and Sasamaru all responded.
Ducker nodded in acknowledgement and ceremoniously opened the door.
Kirito let go of Sachi's hand, and advanced to the head of the group. His resolve strengthened. 'No matter what…' Kirito thought to himself.
Kirito unsheathed his sword from the scabbard on his back.
"Follow me." Kirito commanded.
After a couple of hours of trekking through the Labyrinth, the team encountered the odd fight. Mostly leftovers from the clearing party.
"I thought it would be more….eventful here." Ducker sighed, sitting down next to Tetsuo and Sasamaru.
Sat to Sasamaru's right was Kirito, and sat right to Kirito, was Sachi. She snuck her hand to Kirito's, their fingers interlocking.
"Don't worry, it will." Kirito replied. In the couple of hours they had been clearing, they had never really hit anywhere that wasn't already passed over by the previous boss clearing party.
"How would you know?" Sasamaru shot back. Everyone was taken aback by his unexpectedly aggressive tone.
"What's wrong man?" Ducker asked.
"S-sorry…" Sasamaru began to look down. "I'm just a little frustrated. This was supposed to be fun and difficult, but it really hasn't been. Kind of a waste of a celebration if you ask me."
"I understand." Kirito continued. "Here." He pulled up a map and rotated his menu for everyone to see. "All of these areas here, haven't been seen by anyone yet. This is the most complete map of the area. " Kirito pointed out the pathways along the map that looked as though they should continue, yet abruptly stop. "The nearest branch is...here." Kirito pointed to an unexplored location closest to their position.
"Where'd you get that?" Tetsuo asked.
"It's fairly easy to come by. Any information broker sells it." Kirito replied.
"No one's been there yet?" Ducker asked.
"Correct." Kirito confirmed.
"Well, I think we should get going then!" Ducker excitedly said. "Uncharted territory fellas!"
The group got up and proceeded. Kirito once again led the way, his sword unsheathed.
000
"Sachi get back!" Kirito barked.
She quickly complied, jumping backwards. Immediately a blur shot past her. 'His speed…' she thought to herself. 'It's like the lake again…'.
Kirito unleashed a flurry of strikes against the Dark Dwarf Foreman, staggering him into an opening.
"Tetsuo!" Kirito commanded once more.
"On it!" Tetsuo confirmed, and struck the enemy with several heavy attacks.
"Ok! Sachi get the last hit!" Kirito ordered.
Sachi dashed and began a combo against the creature. Suddenly…
"CLANG!"
Sachi's spear was suddenly knocked out of position by the Foreman's colossal pickaxe. Sachi was staggered back, falling onto the ground. She saw the creature wind up for another attack. Before she could begin to react Kirito suddenly appeared in front of her, already activating a sword skill.
"Aghh!" Kirito let out as he used the strength of his sword skill to parry the monster's next attack. Still using the momentum, Kirito dealt the finishing strikes onto the creature. It fell to the ground before dissipating into the sparkling ash.
Kirito sheathed his sword before turning around to face Sachi, a quaint smile on his face. He reached out a hand to help her up.
His offer was accepted, as Sachi reached out the hand that wasn't clasping her spear and pulled herself up. Once standing, she just paused for a second, their hands still together. Suddenly she leaned forward and kissed Kirito.
"Uh-" Kirito let out a garbled response. Sachi eventually pulled away, their hands still together.
She simply looked up at him. "Thank you." She softly said.
The pair turned to face the other guildmates, who had walked over to them in the aftermath.
"Heh, I knew it." Ducker remarked.
"What do you mean?" Kirito asked.
"You two." Ducker continued.
"News to me." Said Tetsuo.
"You...how long?" Asked Sasamaru.
"A l-little while." Sachi hesitantly replied. She didn't quite know when to qualify her and Kirito's relationship.
"Whatever." Continued Sasamaru. "I just hope you won't have to choose." Sasamaru continued, a mild tint of hostility shaded his voice.
"What do you mean?" Kirito asked, his hand clasping tighter around Sachi's.
"If you ever have to choose between saving us or her, you'll choose her. I just hope it doesn't come to that." Replied Sasamaru.
"Sasamaru…" Kirito tried to reply, but couldn't find the words.
"Kirito…" Sachi tried to begin.
"It won't." Kirito asserted.
"How would you know?" Contended Sasamaru.
"I-" Kirito began before he was interrupted.
"Kirito, it won't matter after today." Sachi quietly said to Kirito, trying to stop the argument.
"I…" Kirito tried to begin again, but still couldn't express his feelings into words.
"You don't know." Sasamaru continued. "And you can't. We should continue or leave."
"Sasamaru…" Sachi started.
"I'll be watching out for myself. It's the most any of us can do. We should go." Sasamaru concluded.
Just as he said that, Tetsuo's menu jingled, indicating a new message.
"It's Keita." Tetsuo began, pulling up the message. "He says the Guild Hall is ready. We should meet him on Floor 25, Boundless Overlook.
"We should get going." Sachi suggested.
"Awww come on." Ducker began to plead. "There's one more room at the end of this path. We should check it out."
"Might as well." Tetsuo agreed.
"If you guys really want to." Sasamaru was somewhat indifferent.
"I really think we should go." Sachi said.
"You're just scared. As usual…" Sasamaru said. Whatever hint of teasing was in his voice was erased by anger still directed toward Kirito. "Looks like you'll decide." Sasamaru pointed to Kirito.
"I…" Kirito began, but was interrupted.
"Let's just do this next room, and call it. Come on, the loot has been great so far." Ducker excitedly argued.
"Ok. We'll meet Keita after this." Kirito confirmed.
The group wandered down the corridor, before turning left into a room. Ducker, who happened to be at the front of the group, peeked his head in.
"Whoa, sweet!" Ducker rushed in and ran over to a chest against the opposite end of the wall.
"Wait!" Kirito barked, running after him.
The rest of the group crossed the room's threshold after Kirito.
Ducker turned around. "What? It doesn't seem like it's a Mimic. The chain is normal."
"There's another-" Kirito attempted to explain before Ducker began opening the chest.
As soon as the lid of the chest was lifted, a door appeared behind the group, and sealed them inside the room. The entire room was filled with a red tinged mist. Ducker backed away from the chest and began to run towards the group.
Creatures began to materialize around them. First formed in between Ducker and Kirito, and then Kirito and the rest of the guild, with a final wave spawning and surrounding Sachi, Tetsuo and Sasamaru. The guild found themselves completely surrounded by Dark Dwarf Miners and Black Mineral Elementals. The former taking the form of short humanoids wielding pickaxes as weapons. The ladder an organized amalgamation of various dark earth elements.
Kirito immediately drew his sword and began trying to cut a path towards him.
"GET BY ME!" Kirito screamed as loud as he could. He wasn't sure if he was heard over all of the clanging of weapons. He could feel the adrenaline flowing through his veins already. Unleashing combo after combo, Kirito kept trying to make an opening, but the enemies simply weren't going down fast enough.
More and more kept spawning. Through the movement of battle, Kirito found himself next to Ducker, who had been isolated from everyone else. Kirito tried positioning himself to more directly take pressure off of Ducker, but was struggling with the sheer amount of enemies spawned.
"What's the-" Ducker began to ask before being struck by a pickaxe to the abdomen. Ducker let out this guttural groan at the sound. Stunned by the blow, Ducker took several other hits by other Miners and Elementals.
A Miner began to raise his weapon for a killing blow against Ducker. Kirito sprung to try and get in front of the strike. Kirito was suddenly knocked off course by an Elemental, and fell to the ground. He could just see the final blow delivered to Ducker.
The Miner's pickaxe impacted directly on top of Ducker's skull. The creature furiously lifted it out, a bright red wound gashed across Ducker's head. Ducker's body went limp, and he dropped his weapon. As it impacted the ground, Ducker's body dissipated into the polygonal ash.
From the ground, Kirito could just see the rest of the guild. He witnessed Sasamaru get killed by an elemental picking him up and throwing him against the wall. Such brutal fashion was meant to inflict as much horror as possible on the survivors of the encounter, if there were any.
Only Tetsuo and Sachi remained. Kirito dealt a retaliatory strike to the Miner who was trying to pin him to the ground. The creature staggered back, and Kirito dealt the death blow.
'I have to get to her.' Kirito screamed in his own thoughts.
"Kirito!" Sachi screamed.
Kirito could just hear her plea over the commotion of battle. He could feel more adrenaline begin to surge. He had never felt this much before, his body and sword suddenly felt weightless. A swelling rage began to overtake him. Effortlessly, he began dealing strike after strike to any enemy that stood between him and Sachi. His field of view eventually became limited by the ash animation of the enemies he had been cutting down.
Just when he thought he had an opening, more waves of enemy began spawning, once again blocking this path.
"What the hell!?" Tetsuo exclaimed. In this instant of letting his guard down, a Miner struck Tetsuo directly at his neck. The blow was enough to reduce his HP to 0.
Enemies encircled Sachi. Ever diligent with her spear, Sachi began parrying blow after blow, struggling to just survive and not take damage.
Kirito continued to desperately try to get to her.
"Sachi!" Kiiro shouted. "I'm coming!" He began to experience a sudden surrealness. Hyper-focused, his intentions locked on Sachi. His mind felt as though it had begun to revert to a basic state. He was no longer thinking about his actions, just doing them. Destroying whatever was between him and Sachi.
'I'm almost there!' Kirito could see Sachi more and more with every creature he killed.
As though it were coming straight from Hell itself, the red mist in the room thickened, and yet another wave of enemies spawned.
Stronger than the underlings they had been fighting, the battlefield was now adorned with Dwarven Mining Foreman and Greater Earth Elementals.
As if bent on killing her, one of each newly spawned enemies unleashed a flurry of strikes on Sachi. She Tried her best blocking with the stem of her spear and parrying when she could.
"SACHI!" Kirito exclaimed. 'Faster!" Kirito screamed at himself.
The sound of wood snapping pierced the room. Suddenly, to Kirito time felt as though it had slowed down. He threw off the enemy he was dueling and looked over to Sachi. He was just in time to witness a Foreman strike Sachi in the back. She was knocked forward onto the ground. Her head faced him, as she began to say something. Kirito saw her lips moving, but couldn't hear what she was saying. Kirito saw her stop moving. A smile adorned her paused expression.
"SAORI!" Kirito screamed. As he did, several Miners dug their pickaxes into Sachi's back, striking it several times each.
Sachi's body went limp, save for her smile facing Kirito. The Miners withdrew their weapons from her body, and it turned to ash.
"SAORI!" Kirito screamed even louder. The swelling rage inside Kirito amplified as the entire room's attention turned to him.
Kirito sheathed his sword. His hands and arms still shaking from the adrenaline. The room's entrance opened up,and the red mist disappeared.
All but thoughtless: 'Sachi'. His expression was blank. He stood motionless for a time, before suddenly he took a step.
One dragging foot after another, Kirito departed the Labyrinth.
22nd June 2023. Aincrad, Floor 25, Boundless Overlook, 03:22 PM, Aincrad Standard Time.
The Boundless OVerlook was a gorgeous structure that was built on the floor's edge. A balcony from the structure jutted out, and extended into the sky of Aincrad. A wooden floor and edge handrail were the only things preventing players from falling into the endless blue.
Keita leaned against the railing, one elbow casually resting on it. His head was turned, staring out into the clouds. He turned to look at the crowd of people around him. Players from all over Aincrad flocked to the destination due to the gorgeous scenery it provided.
Keita thought he noticed someone in the crowd approaching him. He took his elbow off the railing and perked up. 'Is that...Kirito?' He thought to himself. The person seemed as though he was getting slower and slower as he got closer.
'Wait, where are the others?' Keita thought. He scanned the crowd behind Kirito. But couldn't see anyone else from the guild. Kirito made it to Keita.
"Hey!" Keita said in an excited manner. "Where are the others? Did they stay behind and send you?" Keita suddenly noticed Kirito's blank expression. The emotionless Kirito sent a primal fear surging through Keita's body.
"K-Keita…" Kirito tried to begin.
"Kirito, what happened? Where are the others?" Panic began to set into Keita's voice. "W-what did you do?"
"K-Keita…" Kirito tried to begin once again. He couldn't find the words. Where did he even begin?
"N-no...This didn't...this isn't…" Keita took several steps backwards, he was against the rail now.
"S-Sachi...they-" Kirito once again attempted to form a full sentence but was unsuccessful.
Keita's panic now turned to anger. "WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Keita screamed into Kirito's face. The crowd around them noticed the commotion and turned to witness the scene. Kirito's expression remained unfazed.
"T-They-" Kirito looked down at the ground.
"Y-you couldn't…You let them…" Keita began staring down as well.
"I-I'm s-sorry…" Kirito managed to say.
The two stood in silence, motionless. Suddenly breaking the stagnation, Keita stepped up with one foot, and assisted by his hands pulled himself up to be standing on the railing. The crowd let out a collective gasp of shock at his action.
"There's nothing else." Keita muttered to himself. Without hesitation, Keita leaned forward. His body fell off the railing and into the boundless sky.
Kirito barely reached a hand out to try and stop it. His arm refused to extend. The horrified crowd turned to look at Kirito, the lone survivor. No one dared to break the deathly silence.
Kirito turned around. One dragging foot after another, Kirito departed the Overlook. The crowd made space for him, and he was undisturbed.
22nd June 2023. Aincrad, Floor 22, Southwest Corner of Coral Lake, 04:51 PM, Aincrad Standard Time.
Kirito managed to find himself in front of the log cabin him and Sachi had toured just the day before. It felt so long ago to him.
Kirito barely managed to pull his head up. His view panned across the stone paved path, up the oak stairs of the porch and to the base of the front door. His memory sparked for a split second. He could so vividly see an apparition of him and Sachi the day before, her smile gleeful as she opened the front door.
Kirito dragged a finger across the air and summoned his menu. He navigated to the social section, and to the Guild tab.
"Current Guild: Moonlit Black Cats
Members: 1
Current Role: Guild Master"
The system had automatically accounted for the deaths of everyone else. Kirito was the de facto Master, as no one else existed to do so.
He beckoned the dropdown menu next to the status readout, tapping the simple red 'X' icon at the bottom of the menu.
"Dissolve Guild?"
The readout prompted a blue checkmark for 'Yes' and a red 'X' for "No".
Kirito tapped the blue checkmark.
"Confirm?"
Once again presented with the binary options, Kirito hastily and almost angrily tapped the checkmark. The series of submenus closed.
"Current Guild:
Members:
Current Role: "